JEDDAH, 18 February 2005 — The World Bank delegation participating in the Jeddah Economic Forum beginning tomorrow is evaluating Saudi women’s role in the economy and asking for more opportunities for them. According to its 2003 report, the most important challenge for countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) in the coming decade is to create enough jobs for their growing work forces. Unemployment rates in the region are among the highest in the world, says the report, and the jobless rate among the young, educated, female and first-time-job seekers are even greater.
“There is this common belief that if women enter the work force, unemployment will rise, and this is not true because with a higher income by a dual-earning household there will be more demand for services and goods therefore creating more jobs for men and women,” said Nadereh Chamlou, senior adviser for MENA at the World Bank. “The region is losing a lot in terms of per capita income growth because of underutilizing women’s potential,” she told Arab News.
Chamlou and the other members of the World Bank delegation have met with Saudi women in Riyadh and Jeddah over the past few days to see what activities they are involved in and found that they have been very active in the chambers of commerce, in establishing businesses and opening the door for more women.
“There is a willingness to look at gender issues for better growth by women and men here and they are proponents of the need for women’s talents and contributions to the economy, but at the same time they have voiced the presence of pressures due to increases in living expenses,” said Chamlou. Because we want more for our children and better life and in order to compete with our counterparts in other countries, there is a need for more women participation at all levels in all fields and in decision-making.
“The dependency ratio in MENA on the income of one person is much higher than other regions which puts pressure on that sole bread winner,” she said. The inequality of job opportunities and advancement, and the barriers for women hurt the whole society not just women. From her discussions with Saudi women, she said they asked for liberalizing the investment climate for women, open more investment opportunities for them and foster creating their own businesses. “Businesses by women is the fastest growing segment in the world and it increases job creation for men and women, and Saudi women are poised for that because they have the education and the capital,” said Chamlou. Studies done in the GCC countries by MENA show that women tend to go into new modern sectors such as IT, nutrition and consulting. Chamlou pointed out that women in the GCC countries, in terms of numbers, are almost as educated as men in the region and as educated if not more than women in other regions, but what is lacking is quality education and life long learning and vocational training.
In her session at the JEF, titled “Jobs, growth, gender and governance in the Middle East and North Africa: Unlocking the potential for prosperity”, Chamlou argues that three realignments are critical to achieve higher sustainable economic growth — a transition from public sector dominated to private sector-led economies, from closed to more open economies, and from oil-dominated to diversified economies. Critical for achieving any of these transitions are better governance, improved quality education, and greater gender equality.
“Many countries have introduced structural reforms but the difference is not as effective because it did not interfere with social changes such as education, governance and the inclusion of women,” she said. According to the MENA report of 2003, good governance rests on the twin values of inclusiveness and accountability.
The report shows that the failure of MENA countries to ensure these two values has weakened their economic growth and human development. “Good governance is about an inclusive system of the decision making process and about accountability, knowing how reforms will be implemented and what services to expect and holding officials accountable to act in the public’s interest,” said Chamlou.